Inzaghi happy to coach Milan youth

The 39-year-old ended his playing career barely a year ago, immediately swapping his strip for a suit and a position as coach of AC Milan's Under-16 team. Having taken a circuitous, six-year-long route from his hometown club Piacenza before joining Juventus in 1997, the former Italy international is not in a hurry to rush back into the limelight that comes with a senior coaching role.

"Honestly, I'm not thinking about it," he said. "I've started out in this adventure without any sort of objective. Who knows what will happen? For the moment, it's a job that I like and I'm only thinking about improving, taking each step as it comes, little by little, just as I did in my playing career."

The 2006 World Cup-winner, who scored 156 goals in 370 Serie A games for Atalanta, Juve and Milan, is now part of the project Milan are putting in place to change the club's emphasis on buying in ready-made stars to producing home-grown talents.

However, Inzaghi admitted he has found it a challenge explaining certain aspects of the game to his young charges, particularly the nose for goal which made him the scourge of European defences.

"I'm trying to teach it to my players, but I'm still looking for the way to do it and it's difficult," he said. "In fact, the sense of positioning, anticipation, is something very natural. I always knew where the ball was going to drop. But I have plenty of other things I can also teach the boys."

The know-how garnered during more than a decade at the top level will no doubt serve Inzaghi well, but though he acknowledged the positive impact former Milan team-mates Paolo Maldini and Kaka had on his career, he said ex-Rossoneri coach Carlo Ancelotti, 53, had had the greatest influence.

"The man and his method of working marked my whole career," said Inzaghi, who played under the current PSG boss for eight of his 12 years at the San Siro. "He's my reference. Having said that, I think you can take a coach as an example, but it's very difficult to take everything that he has. Each of us has something which is our own and which only you yourself can pass on to others."